


Hand on the Hour Hand

by defuse00



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Body Horror, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, F/F, Memory Alteration, Mind Manipulation, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:06:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27845716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/defuse00/pseuds/defuse00
Summary: A wish gives you what you want most. With the power of a god, you can have whatever you want, even if it seems impossible. Sometimes you need that power just to get back a friend you already had.
Relationships: Akemi Homura/Kaname Madoka
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Hand on the Hour Hand

Homura knows this is her fault.

She shouldn't have fought Mami so many times. Homura always underestimated Mami's intelligence and had never expected her to figure out her time-stopping power after only three fights. But she had.

Mami hadn't gotten the chance to use said knowledge, losing to a witch before she got the chance. But she had written it down.

Kyouko had gone through her mentor's notes upon her return to Mitakihara. She was therefore poisoned against Homura, as well as up-to-date on her abilities. Homura reacted by staying as hands-off as possible as Sayaka clashed with Kyouko. Until Madoka was in danger. Then Homura made another mistake, which was confronting Kyouko instead of silently grabbing Madoka.

Kyouko smiles when Homura appears, then grabs Madoka's wrist and stabs Sayaka all the way through. Madoka's scream tears through Homura's mind, leaving her reeling.

"So, shield bitch, what happened to Mami?" Kyouko drawls.

"Died to a witch," Homura snaps, "Release the girl, she's of no use to you."

"I let go of her and get five bullets in the brain. I know how you work. ‘Til I get you trapped, I need a hostage."

Not strictly true, Homura notes. She could kill Kyouko without endangering Madoka. But she doesn't want to kill Kyouko. They've been friends a lot, even if Kyouko doesn't know it.

Kyouko couldn't be more obvious about the chain snaking towards her. Homura waits until it's about to strike her, stops time, and walks a couple of feet away.

"If you do that again, I'll break her arm!" Kyouko shouts, twisting Madoka to make her scream. Homura almost drops her gun when she hears this one, pain and misery rending her heartstrings. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to stop this fight. But you seem to have done that." Sayaka is curled up on the ground in a pool of her blood. Homura estimates they have an hour before she's up, less if she's actively using healing magic. But she's lost the will to fight, and that's more important than physical injury.

"I was just playing with her," Kyouko explains. "You care about her?"

"No. I just don't believe we should fight each other."

"Funny you say that,” Kyouko comments. “Mami died pretty soon after you showed up. Seems weird to me."

"I had no involvement in her death. Madoka can confirm that."

"This wimp. Jeez, what's so special about some normie girl? Maybe I should kill her before she rots your brain any more."

The threat works, propelling Homura forward before she even knows what she's doing. Her foot nudges a chain link and before she knows it, it's wrapped around her ankle. No easy outs now.

"Ha, got you. Hey, if she means so much to you, why she is hanging with the dumb blue bitch?” Kyouko taunts. “She isn't in Mami's notes, so she must be new. You could kill her easy."

Homura doesn't respond. No point in further antagonizing Kyouko. 

"I mean, I don't like twisting a girl’s arm, but if it's the only way to get you to talk -" Madoka screams, again. Homura flinches.

"Don't do that."

"Or you'll what, shoot me? By the time you pull a gun out this girl's head will be cut clean off."

Homura can feel her soul gem getting darker. This situation isn't sustainable.

Kyouko considers for a moment. "Normally, I'd let you go with a warning. But you can kill me before I even know you've attacked, so I think you need a more physical reminder of who's in charge."

Kyouko throws Madoka down and pins her to the ground with a knee. Madoka wails like a siren, with a touch of hysterical fear that makes Homura's blood curdle. Kyouko leans down and stage-whispers into Madoka's ear.

"I don't normally go this far with anyone, so consider yourself lucky."

She slices open the back of Madoka's uniform and exposes her back.

"I'm going to carve my name into you, so your girlfriend knows what happens when she messes with me."

Homura doesn't believe her until the blade cuts into Madoka and her scream hits a new pitch. 

The sound of shattering glass echoes through the alleyway. Kyouko crumples, an invisible force overwhelming her. The obsessed girl absorbs Madoka, her magic finally strong enough to protect her prized possession. The other girls are threats that have to be removed.

* * *

Sayaka rolls to her feet and yells at Kyouko, but she's still unconscious, lost in the echoing hollow of her mind. A set of familiars appear near them, making some additions to Sayaka's wounds. She jumps over them, still yelling at Kyouko. She can't do this alone. She's too weak for this fight. 

Sayaka notices that the witch is occupied with beautiful Madoka. Sayaka hopes that her best friend won't be dead because she got in a stupid fight, like the idiot she is.

The flow of battle leaves Sayaka next to Kyouko for a moment, and Sayaka kicks her in the head from her anger as much as a desire to wake the asshole up. It snaps the moron out of it, but her eyes are still unfocused. She's still recovering from the memory magic. She asks Sayaka what's happening with a slurred voice. Sayaka tells her to help defend them. Kyouko leaps to her feet and fights for her miserable life. 

The familiars relax their assault for a moment, allowing the girls to regroup. I want them to see what I've done. Sayaka looks for Madoka, but she doesn't see the friend she could never protect until Kyouko points up.

Madoka hangs suspended at the top of the barrier from a set of thin wires. She's at the top of my labyrinth, out of reach of so-called friends and asshole rats. She glows, her face and skin alight with pink. Her eyes and mouth are open, and the light from those is stronger and thicker, oozing a bright liquid that drips from her. She is the sun of this labyrinth. The light of my life. 

I take a long look at my prize before reaching towards the magical girls. Idiot Sayaka feels the danger those creeping fingers represent and slashes at them as they approach. She yells for Kyouko to look for an exit, but the bitch can't find it. I've modified her mind to ignore it. I will kill her, get my revenge for hurting Madoka.

Sayaka isn't competent enough to hold me back. A few of my fingers brush her, making sure she won't leave glorious Madoka behind. She shrieks, the effects of my touch making itself known as a cold chill. 

Kyouko turns to help, battering the attack aside like the sadistic brute she is. Sayaka moves back, while Kyouko defends. Her aggressive style keeps me from tearing her mind apart. It won't save her. The seeds of her destruction were sown from the moment of my rebirth.

Sayaka finds the exit from my barrier. The pair run for the exit. I allow them to leave. I want to enjoy Madoka's presence, alone.

* * *

"What the fuck just happened?" Kyouko yells as she storms down the alleyway.

"I don't know, you're the veteran!" Sayaka responds. They've gotten some distance from the witch, but the distortion of its barrier is still visible. 

"I don't even remember half of what happened! All I know is I had Madoka prisoner, and then, bang, I'm in a labyrinth." 

"It had something to do with Homura, I swear,” Sayaka says. “Something happened to her." 

"So the witch was using her as a disguise or something?" Kyouko asks.

"No, her soul gem changed. She changed." 

"That can't be right!" Kyouko yells "Kyubey, what happened to Homura?" 

Kyubey drops down from a nearby rooftop. _Her soul gem lost its energy and she gave into despair._

"A little more specific?" Kyouko asks. 

_She transformed into a witch._

"How? Why?" 

_I'm unfamiliar with the exact mechanics, I'm afraid. But when a soul gem runs out of magic, something of a transformation occurs. That's where witches come from._

"You never thought I might want to know that, Kyubey?" Kyouko spits out.

_It occurred to me. But I thought you wouldn't care about what happened after your death._

"Oh, get out of here, liar." 

_Very well._

"What am I going to do?" Sayaka asks, putting her head in her hands. "I've got to save Madoka, but that witch was tough. And I know I never had a shot at beating Homura, and now she's that thing." 

"Madoka. Why does that name sound familiar?" 

Sayaka makes a rude gesture at Kyouko. "Oh, fuck off with your jokes. This is serious." 

"No I'm -" Kyouko stands up stumbling. "I'm remembering something." 

"Huh?" 

"Madoka was my pen pal in elementary school!" 

"Impossible!" Sayaka shouts. "Madoka would have told me about a pen pal." 

Kyouko rolls her eyes. "Why would I lie? I don't want to be stuck here walking back into that witch's labyrinth, but if she's someone I knew then I have to try and keep her around." 

"That doesn't make any sense!" 

"Look, I don't care if you believe me or not. I'm going back in for her, whether you want me to or not." 

"Well, I'm saving her too," Sayaka insists. "But don't think this makes us friends." 

Kyouko scoffs. "Friends? We're barely even allies." 

"Exactly." 

* * *

The pair find their way back to the barrier. The entrance takes the form of an ornate doorway, wrought-iron vines decorating the arch. 

"How many witches have you killed?" Kyouko asks as their footsteps echo down the endless hall. 

"Only three." Sayaka shivers. "But this one, it feels different." 

"I've had to have faced hundreds of witches by now. But this is the first time I knew that they used to be like me. Makes it a lot creepier." 

"What are you saying?" Sayaka asks. 

Kyouko's eyes rove over the walls of the labyrinth. "I won't blame you if you cut and run, new girl. Even the veteran isn't a big fan of this." 

"That's ridiculous. If I run now, even if you saved Madoka, I could never face her. I'm here to be a hero." 

"Okay. Don't say I didn't warn you." 

Enough melodramatic foreshadowing. Time for the main act. 

I strip away the illusion of the hallway that the pair had been walking through and allow my familiars to attack. They react as if they'd known an attack was coming. One can rely on bestial cunning when cornered, I guess. It isn't as if they could conceive of my plans. 

I manipulate my familiars to separate the magical girls. Torturing the sadist will be much easier with her partner out of reach. They follow along, allowing themselves to be divided. 

Kyouko proves her capabilities even when isolated. Stabbing familiars while dodging attacks is second nature to her. But I am the master of this labyrinth and her skills can't save her. 

I make sure that the familiars wound her back. I want to make sure she feels every pain she gave my jewel. 

I stay back. I lured them here with the promise of Madoka, but it would all be for nothing if they managed to retrieve her. The issue is, of course, that nothing can be achieved if I don't do it myself. Kyouko remains resilient against the attacks of my familiars. 

I fill the space around Madoka with bladed pendulums and flow towards Kyouko. She holds steady until she realizes that I'm cutting off her exits. Then she grits her teeth and starts going on the offensive. 

Gradually, she becomes more and more trapped. Her aggressive nature leaves her chasing me, even as her position in the labyrinth becomes worse. I keep my familiars from damaging her soul gem and watch it carefully, to make sure she doesn't lose hope before I'm finished with her. I don't intend to let her off easily. 

She is even more persistent than normal, illogical hope springing from nothing. I was hoping she'd go for her traditional suicide run, for me to interrupt and then corrupt her, but she seemed to be waiting for something, even as I got closer and closer to her. 

Kyouko shouts, "Run! Leave me behind!" and I realize my mistake. My familiars shatter her soul gem as I race back to Madoka, but it's too late. Sayaka already has her and is leaving the labyrinth. 

I try to chase her but Sayaka is faster. Like in a dream, I chase her as fast as I can, but she just keeps getting farther away. She turns the corner and-

* * *

Homura wakes up in a dark alley and considers that recent events may have just been a dream. It had been weird and illogical, her behavior inconsistent. But Sayaka's shouting convinces Homura otherwise. 

"Why the fuck would you wish for that crazy bitch back? She nearly let you die, and that was before she became a witch!" 

Madoka coughs. Homura sharpens her vision with magic and catches a glimpse of Madoka's weak smile. And watches Kyubey scurry away. He's done his damage. 

"Sayaka-chan, thank you. You helped me so much," Madoka rasps. "But there's a lot you don't understand and I need to talk to Homura-chan, please." 

"Madoka, I can't let you do this." 

"I only have a few minutes left, Sayaka-chan. Let me talk to Homura-chan." 

Sayaka makes a noise between a groan and a whimper. "No, no, no I can heal you I know I can please, please-" 

"You can't," Homura interrupts. "The damage is to her soul. No magic will restore it." The guilt crushes her, but she recognizes her dark self's logic. If I can't have her, no one can. 

"Homura-chan!" Madoka's face lights up. "It was- difficult to believe that the wish would work. You seemed so far away from me." 

"Transfer student, say your piece. I'm watching you." 

"Madoka, I'm sorry about everything-" 

"Shh, shh. You aren't responsible for what you do as a witch," Madoka tells her. "Despair makes devils out of all of us." 

"That's very kind of you." 

"Listen. I saw everything you did. Just take better care of yourself, okay? Be a little nicer to everyone, on your way to the ideal future." 

"Madoka, what are you talking about?" Sayaka asks. 

Madoka sighs, sliding down the concrete wall. "I don't have enough time to explain it to you and Homura-chan won't want to. Can you two keep me company, before I die?" 

Their voices trip over each other in their haste to reassure Madoka. By unspoken agreement, the girls each grab a hand and watch Madoka drift away. Her breathing gets slower, her hands get colder and both of them hold back tears for her sake. 

Her soul gem crumbles to ash a few seconds after her breathing stops. They keep holding her hands, long after the light has left her eyes. 

Eventually, Homura stands up. 

"Thank you for saving Madoka. I'll be leaving now." 

"Where are you going?" Sayaka asks, confused. 

"Somewhere else. I don't know what happens to you next. I'm sorry." 

Homura turns her shield and vows to keep her heart hardened this time. 

**Author's Note:**

> Mostly an experiment in alternate styles when dealing with witches, in the spirit of the original. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated.


End file.
